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Dimmit County leaders defend youth sports complex cost as donors reduce county share
Summary
Commissioners discussed the contractor selection and funding plan for the new Dimmit County Sports Complex, including negotiated bid reductions, donor pledges and the county's remaining exposure. Commissioners asked for more transparency and regular construction updates.
Dimmit County officials spent more than an hour reviewing the contractor selection and financing of a planned youth sports complex, hearing that the county negotiated the low bid from a prequalified bidder and is pursuing outside donations to reduce county costs.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the project is a large capital undertaking for the county and asked for regular, public updates so constituents can see how tax notes and donated funds are being applied.
County staff told the court Catamount, Inc. submitted the lowest bid in the original procurement round. According to the judge's update, the county negotiated the price down from the original low bid figure referenced at $20,000,000 to roughly $15,000,000 "and change," then added a $1,500,000 reserve line, which the judge said shows as about $16,500,000 on paper. The county also secured a $15,000,000 tax note to finance part of the project. The judge said the county has spent about $6,100,000 so far on site work and project startup.
Donations and contingency: The judge said the county expects a corporate donation from SM Energy that will be presented formally to the court at a future meeting and said an anonymous individual has committed up to $1,000,000 toward the complex. Commissioners said such donations reduce the county's out-of-pocket exposure, but members repeatedly asked for specific, line-item accounting as bids are negotiated and donations are applied to the overall contract.
Contract terms and materials: Commissioners questioned how on-site borrow material, water use and hauling credits had been deducted from the contractor's price; staff pointed to a reserve in the contract to account for deductions for county-supplied dirt and other in-kind contributions.
Requests for transparency: Multiple commissioners asked for periodic special briefings and quarterly reports from the construction team so elected officials and the public can track progress and expenditures. One commissioner requested special meetings focused on the project; staff agreed to provide score sheets, bid documentation and regular progress reports and to put the item back on a future agenda for formal award confirmation if required.
No final awarding vote was taken during the discussion. The judge said the county will place the contract back on the next agenda with updated figures showing donor contributions and negotiated changes.
Ending: Commissioners supported the project in principle but asked staff for more detailed financial breakdowns, a schedule of on-site meetings, and formal reporting so that the public can track the county's fiscal exposure and donor offsets.
